Walmart announced Wednesday it plans to open a new dairy processing facility in Valdosta that will employ nearly 400 workers.
The Arkansas-based retailer said the $350 million project will produce milk and other dairy products that will be shipped to more than 750 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across Georgia and surrounding states. Gov. Brian Kemp praised Walmart for investing in Georgia’s $74 billion agriculture industry, the state’s most valuable sector.
“We’re excited that Walmart will soon tap into Georgia’s No. 1 industry and open new opportunities for farmers in the Lowndes County area,” he said in a news release.
The facility will be located on Inner Perimeter Road in Valdosta, a city about 15 miles north of the Georgia-Florida border. The plant is expected to begin operations in late 2025.
Walmart’s facility will join a wave of refrigerated storage centers that are becoming more common across Georgia. The state currently offers 178 million cubic feet of cold storage space, which is an industry that has experienced unprecedented demand in recent years because of a surge in online grocery sales, according to real estate services firm CBRE.
Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in the release that Walmart’s facility will enable the state’s dairy farmers “to produce more goods from start to finish right here in Georgia.” He said the deal provides local farmers with new business and Walmart customers access to fresher dairy products.
Georgia is the top milk producing state in the Southeast, with the dairy industry generating $2.5 billion in economic activity, according to the state advocacy group and trade association Georgia Milk Producers.
Walmart will likely qualify for job creation tax credits and worker training through Georgia Quick Start. A Georgia Department of Economic Development spokesperson said negotiations involving discretionary incentives, such as grants, remain active.
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